Bid for success: 6 tips for successful green tech bidding and tendering

Delivering successful green technology projects starts with an effective bid. Green Technology Consultant Thalia Czarkowska details some top tips and strategies businesses can take to improve their bidding and tendering process. 

1 Evaluate the opportunity cost  

Bidding can be a laborious and time-consuming process. Before you even begin crafting your bid, ask yourself: “is this the right project for my business?” There’s no harm in being selective, and many organisation’s waste valuable resources chasing shadows.  
 
Ensure you’ve assessed the project details before you commit to your bid. Is the project scale right? Is the location convenient? Have you researched the client and do they seem a suitable fit? Do you currently have the capacity to take on such a project? By being selective with the bids you make, you will ensure that the quality of those bids is improved and backed by a sincere willingness to take on the project. 

2 Be concise  

Wherever possible, keep your responses to no more than 25 words per sentence. This will help you to avoid rambling and address the questions asked directly and succinctly.  
 
Prospective clients aren’t looking for a biopic of your organisation. They want to know how you’ll fulfil their requirements, what experience and expertise you’ll bring, and why you are perfect for this project. Address this with impactful and concise words.

3 Lean into value beyond price  

An increasing number of public sector tenders are narrowing their focus on social value. This means your business’ position on sustainability, social practices, and value-driven principles is a realistic competitive advantage.  
 
Rather than defaulting to a typical race to the bottom with price battles, consider how you can articulate your organisations environmental and social achievements and values. For example, do you invest in local regeneration projects? Have you completed  community value projects? Are you taking meaningful steps to reduce your impact on the planet with your environmental policy or training? Get this information into your bid.  
 
You can engage with the GM Business Growth Hub’s Social Value team to identify your organisation’s unique selling point. 

Looking to boost your business? We offer a range of fully-funded training programmes. Explore your options here.

4 Accreditations matter

Every accreditation, certification, and recognised standard your business has is a competitive advantage. While it may not be necessary to outline every accreditation your business has earned, consider which ones are pertinent to the project you are bidding for and ensure you have communicated this clearly in your bid. 
 
What’s more, if an accreditation isn’t widely understood, it may be worth explaining why a certification you have makes you aprticulalry qualified for the job.

5 Consider your keywords 

Technology designed to crawl these types of documents is evolving, and it is often the case that keywords stand out far more than we expect. Before writing your bid, do your research on the project proposal and write down ten or more keywords that you consider to be especially relevant for this bid. Next ensure these key words are used throughout your proposal.  
 
When you read back through the bid at the end, have these keywords to hand and check to ensure they’re present and relevant. Aside from the technology point, having your keywords in mind will help you to stay on topic and remember the key concepts of the project and bid, preventing unnecessary tangents and irrelevant information from making their way into the bid.

6 Ask for help 

Bid writing consultants are available to help you master your bid. A second pair of eyes could help refine and perfect your bid before submission.  
 
Our team of consultants have extensive experience working on bid strategies and have a clear understanding of the process, both from the perspective of the bidder and the recipient. Speak to one of our Green Technology Consultants today to get your next bid up to standards.  
 
We are also offering a free workshop focussing on improving the bidding and tendering process for green technology businesses. Register for free here.